Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher bring 1955 and 2011 Silver Arrows to DTM season opener at Hockenheim this weekend

Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 driver, Nico Rosberg will take to the wheels again this weekend, only this time it’s at Hockenheim for the DTM season opener on 28th April, 2012. He will go through demo laps seated behind the race winning Silver Arrow that Juan Manuel Fangio drove in the 1955 season.

Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 driver, Michael Schumacher will get on track on 29th April with demo laps in the 2011 Formula 1 Silver Arrow. Nico Rosberg’s maiden win at the 2012 Chinese Grand Prix is the first for a Silver Arrow since the 1955 Italian Grand Prix at Monza in the Mercedes-Benz W196.

Last year too Nico Rosberg was at the DTM season opener at Hockenheim as a DTM ‘taxi driver’ for the THOMAS SABO AMG Mercedes C?Class. He then participated at the first ever Show Event in Munich seated behind a Formula 1 Silver Arrow along the temp circuit in the Olympic Stadium. Seven-time Formula 1 champion, Michael Schumacher will take the wheel of the 2011 MGP W02 at the opening race of the DTM season opener touring car series.

Nico Rosberg: “I have great memories of the DTM. The earliest date back to when my father was still racing. Then I started competing in the various junior classes that are staged as part of the DTM race weekend as I started out on my own motorsport career. A lot has happened in the meantime, and the highlight so far was obviously my win in China one week ago. I am absolutely delighted to be returning to Hockenheim as a Grand Prix winner. Last year, I was able to drive a classic Silver Arrow on the famous Nürburgring Nordschleife, so now I’m really looking forward to climbing into the cockpit of Juan Manuel Fangio’s phenomenal W196 streamliner from Monza in 1955 and driving a few laps at Hockenheim. It means a lot to me that we have written a new chapter in the wonderful history of Mercedes in motorsport – and that there is plenty more still to come.”

Michael Schumacher: “After a busy start to the Formula 1 season with four flyaway races in succession, it will be nice to come back to Germany for the DTM season opener at Hockenheim on Sunday. I’m especially looking forward to the chance to give the fans a taste of a Formula 1 Silver Arrow in action.
This will be my first visit to a DTM race in 20 years, and I hope that my brother and his fellow Mercedes-Benz drivers will get their season off to a great start.”

Norbert Haug, Vice-President Mercedes-Benz Motorsport:“DTM begins a new era this weekend in Hockenheim, with a brand-new and exciting generation of cars. To mark the occasion, we wanted to give the spectators at the circuit something extra, and both our F1 drivers were immediately right behind the idea. Following his victory at the Chinese Grand Prix ten days ago, Nico Rosberg will complete demonstration laps in the Silver Arrow W 196 streamliner, with which Juan Manuel Fangio won at Monza in 1955. On Sunday, just before the start of the race, Michael Schumacher will complete a demonstration run in last year’s F1 Silver Arrow.It’s a throwback to the start of the DTM, which now features three premium manufacturers, and a way of saying thank you to the loyal DTM fans and to our Mercedes colleagues, thousands of whom will be in the Motodrom this weekend, accounting for a high proportion of the 55,000 pre-sold tickets. We are delighted to be able to offer the fans these additional attractions and Nico and Michael are excited to be attending on one of their few free weekends, for which I sincerely thank both of them.”